What is the best way to treat my Apple iBook lithium ion battery? Should I keep it plugged into the wall even when it is fully charged or should I unplug it? And if unplugging basically means letting the battery go down, should I let it go down to absolutely dead or half dead before recharging?
I've researched these questions and everyone says something different. Some say that deep cycling shortens the battery's life span; others say it does not. But no one says whether leaving it plugged in while fully charged is bad. Mary Oey New York City
Nothing irritates more than a computer running out of battery life when there are no mains sockets in sight. An updated version of Richard III would have him looking for a battery to save his kingdom, not a horse.
Much has been said about batteries and, as you rightly point out, much of it is questionable.
People in the computer industry bemoan the slow progress of battery capacity compared with other aspects of technology. The problem is that batteries are not part of the electronics revolution but are still firmly in the world of chemistry.
Progress has been made in creating batteries that last longer, but the advances are still extremely small. A battery brick that lasted two hours 10 years ago, now can just about make it to six.
Although you ask about the iBook, most of what follows is true for any battery for a PC or Mac.